Tag Archives: Megalomys

Megalomys sp. ‘La Desirade’

La Desirade Rice Rat (Megalomys sp.)

This species is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from archaeological sites on the small island of La Desirade off the northeast coast of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles.

The remains were dated to about 600 to 1400 AD.. [1][2]

*********************

References:

[1] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
[2] Myriam Boudadi-Maligne; Salvador Bailon; Corentin Bochaton; Fabrice Casagrande; Sandrine Grouard; Nathalie Serrand; Arnaud Lenoble: Evidence for historical human-induced extinctions of vertebrate specieson La Désirade (French West Indies). Quaternary Research 85: 54-65. 2016

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020

Megalomys sp. ‘Grenada’

Grenada Giant Rice Rat (Megalomys sp.)

This species is known from subfossil remains that were excavated on the island of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles.

The species was formerly just named as Cricetidae gen. & sp. ‘Grenada’, it was finally formally described in 2021.[1]

*********************

References:

[1] Brittany A. Mistretta; Christina M. Giovas; Marcelo Weksler; Samuel T. Turvey: Extinct insular oryzomyine rice rats (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from the Grenada Bank, southern Caribbean. Zootaxa 4951(3): 434-460. 2021

*********************

edited: 12.04.2021

Megalomys sp. ‘Marie Galante’

Marie Galante Giant Rice Rat (Megalomys sp.)

This species is up to now undescribed, it is known from subfossil remains that had been found on the island of Marie Galante offshore Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. [1]

*********************

References:

[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. Wiley-Blackwell 2010

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020

Megalomys sp. ‘Guadeloupe’

Guadeloupe Giant Rice Rat (Megalomys sp.)

This form, which hitherto has not been described, is known from subfossil material that was found on the island of Guadelopue in the Lesser Antilles. [1]

*********************

References:

[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. Wiley-Blackwell 2010

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020

Megalomys luciae (Major)

Saint Lucia Giant Rice Rat (Megalomys luciae)

The Saint Lucia Giant Rice Rat, also known as Saint Lucia Pilorie, was a very large rodent that formerly was restricted to the island of Saint Lucia in the Lesser Antilles.

The species was the second largest rice rat of the Caribbean, it almost reached the size of a cat.

The Saint Lucia Giant Rice Rat dissapeared in the latter half of the 19th century, it was last recorded in 1881, the reasons are the same as in all the other extinct Caribbean rice rat species.

*********************

Photo: Vassil

(public domain)

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020

Megalomys georginae Turvey, Brace & Weksler

Georgina’s Barbados Rice Rat (Megalomys georginae)

Georgina’s Barbados Rice Rat was described in 2012 based on subfossil remains that had been recovered from an Amerindian archaeological site on the island of Barbados in the Lesser Antilles.

The species was one of the smallest forms in its genus. [1]

*********************

References:

[1] Samuel T. Turvey; Selina Brace; Marcelo Weksler: A new species of recently extinct rice rat (Megalomys) from Barbados. Mammalian Biology 77: 404-413. 2012

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020

Megalomys sp. ‘Barbuda’

Barbuda Rice Rat (Megalomys sp.)

This species is known from subfossil remains, which originally were not assigned to any known genus.

The Barbuda Rice Rat was endemic to the island of Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda, in the Lesser Antilles, it was sympatric with another species of the same genus, the Barbuda Giant Rice Rat (Megalomys audreyae Hopwood). [1]

*********************

References:

[1] Gregory K. Pregill; David W. Steadman; David R. Watters: Late Quaternary vertebrate faunas of the Lesser Antilles: historical components of Caribbean biogeography. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 30: 1-51. 1994

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020